Chapter 68

The melodious song of the birds woke Qin Feng from his sleep, and with his mind completely at ease, he slept soundly for the rest of the night. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw a colorful bird singing on the windowsill that he had forgotten to close the night before. It would sing a few notes, stop, use its long beak to preen its beautiful feathers, then raise its head and sing proudly, hopping from one end of the windowsill to the other.

Qin Feng smiled; he had rarely seen such a warm scene in recent years. Wherever the army was stationed, the noise and the air of killing drove the birds away, and those near the camp of the daredevils never had a good end, most of them becoming delicious meals for the soldiers.

Puckering his lips, Qin Feng imitated the bird's call. The little bird turned its head, tilted it, and with its small, green-bean-like eyes, it looked up and down at Qin Feng on the bed, tilting its head from side to side, as if trying to figure out why this creature that made the same sound looked so different.

The bird's playful appearance made Qin Feng laugh, and the bird was immediately startled, spreading its wings and flying away.

The door creaked open, and a small, fierce boot poked in. Then Qin Feng saw Min Ruoxi, holding a tray with both hands, leaning to one side, her shoulders forward, a smile on her face as she appeared before him.

"Awake? What are you laughing about so happily?" Min Ruoxi placed the tray on the bedside cabinet, sat down on the bed, and reached out to gather the strands of hair that had fallen over her face, tilting her head to look at Qin Feng.

Qin Feng looked at Min Ruoxi, whose hair was disheveled, her hairpins askew, and her small face stained in several places, looking as if she hadn't washed up. Naturally, Qin Feng reached out to wipe the dirt off her face, just as he had taken care of the immobile Min Ruoxi during their escape.

"What happened to you?" Qin Feng wiped her face, and Min Ruoxi accepted it calmly, neither of them feeling anything was wrong with this.

"I went to cook you some porridge this morning!" Min Ruoxi pointed to the tray, which contained a bowl of fragrant porridge and a few side dishes, all of which looked delicious.

"Did you really make this?" Qin Feng was skeptical.

Sure enough, Min Ruoxi's face turned red, and she stammered, "Actually, actually, it was all made by Fatso, I just helped. But the rice for the porridge was picked by me. The rice from the county office wasn't very good, so I picked each grain! The side dishes are quite good, they are fresh wild vegetables from the Luoying Mountains, which are hard to come by normally."

Qin Feng laughed, "You're really getting picky. Don't forget, not long ago, we didn't even have rice to eat, we could only catch fish and snakes. By the way, who is Fatso?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. Fatso is a Chu person, he is one of our spies in Luoying County, responsible for gathering intelligence here. This time, when I appeared, he revealed his identity and came to be my guard." Min Ruoxi explained.

"Even in such a remote place, we have a spy?" Qin Feng was a bit shocked.

"Qi is our biggest enemy, and we have always spared no effort in gathering intelligence on them." Min Ruoxi smiled, "Fatso is part of the internal security system. Actually, the Jiyuan Hall I manage also has people here, and now I have people I can use. More are on their way."

"That's good. I'm now as weak as a chicken." Qin Feng sighed, "Although there's no major danger now, the Qi people want to be your bodyguards, but the Qin and Yue people might still play some tricks. Honestly, with your status, you shouldn't have left the capital so easily, let alone gone to the battlefield."

"If I hadn't come this time, how would I have had the chance to see you?" Min Ruoxi pursed her lips, "The outside world is so exciting, it's nothing like the dull capital, where all you see is people living in a daze, unable to distinguish day from night."

Qin Feng laughed, "Such a life is what I've always dreamed of! You actually find it boring, truly a case of not knowing how good you have it."

"It's not hard for you to live such a life. This time, if you come back to the capital with me and don't go back, you'll get tired of it in no time." Min Ruoxi picked up the bowl of porridge, stirring it gently with a spoon. "Come, try it!"

Seeing her delicate hand scoop the porridge and bring it to his mouth, Qin Feng felt a bit awkward and raised his left hand, saying, "My left hand works, I can do it myself!"

"What? Can't I take care of you? These days, in the Luoying Mountains, you were always taking care of me, weren't you?" Min Ruoxi's eyes widened, then her face turned as red as a ripe apple, as if she remembered something.

Qin Feng understood why Min Ruoxi suddenly blushed; this issue would likely become a recurring topic between them. Without saying anything, he opened his mouth and swallowed the porridge she fed him.

"I picked the rice and made the fire. How is it? The timing is pretty good, right?" Min Ruoxi said proudly.

"Of course, the timing is perfect, each grain is plump and full, very tasty!" Qin Feng nodded repeatedly.

Hearing the praise, Min Ruoxi immediately beamed with joy, "Then eat more!"

Fatso's skills were indeed excellent; not only was the porridge fragrant, but the side dishes were also distinctive. Qin Feng, who hadn't had a proper meal in a long time, had a huge appetite and quickly finished the bowl of porridge and the side dishes.

"Are you full?" Min Ruoxi asked with a smile.

"Full, full." Actually, Qin Feng wasn't really full, but seeing her gaze, he lied.

Putting down the bowl, Min Ruoxi stared at Qin Feng, "You look much better. Yesterday, Yue Wei invited the best doctor in Luoying County to examine you. He said you were just tired and exhausted, and you would be fine with rest. But I know the mediocre doctors in this small county couldn't see the hidden illness in your body. How is it now?"

Qin Feng thought for a moment and didn't tell Min Ruoxi about the changes in his body, just saying, "It's okay. I thought I was going to die this time, but after a fight and a faint, I woke up to find it behaving. It's just that I can't use my strength, but there are no other problems. It seems I've been given a second chance. Maybe in three to five years, there won't be any issues. But in this state, I can only eat and wait to die. I can't go back to the daredevils. If I go back like this, I'll be played with by those rascals in no time."

"If you can't go back, then don't." Min Ruoxi smiled, "What's there to fear? The grand capital, the princess's mansion, can't support you? Besides, there are great medical experts and martial arts masters in the capital. We can gather them to diagnose you, and I'm sure we can find a solution."

"I am a regular military officer. It wouldn't be right for me to freeload off you for a long time." Qin Feng shook his head.

"Does the princess's mansion not have active military officers? After I go back, I'll transfer you over. Or, you could just retire. Being an officer isn't that great anyway." Min Ruoxi said, "You can stay with me in the future."

"Then I'll really become a freeloader." Qin Feng laughed, "If Xiaomao and the others find out, they'll laugh at me!"

"If they dare to laugh, I'll make them cry." Min Ruoxi blushed, stood up, picked up the tray, and walked out gracefully. At the door, she turned back and said, "When we get back to the capital, I'll go see Father."

The door slammed shut, and Qin Feng looked at the closed door, feeling a bit stunned. Why see the emperor? I'm just a small captain; how could I catch the emperor's attention? At most, he would say, "I know, you decide."

But thinking about it, Min Ruoxi's suggestion wasn't bad. The external force in his body was clearly the work of a great martial arts master. If he could do this, perhaps other masters could go further and solve this problem for him. If not, maybe he could really go to the princess's mansion to freeload? The western border army is gone, the left commander is gone, and rebuilding the western border army won't happen overnight. Even if it is rebuilt, the daredevils probably won't have the same good times as before. As the only surviving unit of the former western border army and a relatively special unit, the new commander might handle it differently. Maybe he should let Xiaomao and the others leave.

Qin Feng propped his chin in his hand and fell into deep thought.